Yes, but this is true of Superman in a way as well. Superman's got a bit of depth with the lost alien heritage gimmick, but really he's just a guy who does the right thing, always. How "interesting" is that?
Ah, but Superman IS interesting!
Superman's origin is deep and profoundly meaningful, in its own way as Batman and Spider-Man's, because Superman by definition is lonely and isolated from the rest of mankind. That's why the Fortress of Solitude makes SENSE: it fills a need. Your own article explains what a tragic figure Superman's parents are. There is something very sad and poignant about how Superman and Supergirl don their headbands and light their space-menorahs to celebrate Kryptonian holidays that are only meaningful to them.
One half-criticism I have of Alan Moore's SUPREME is that it did not have this sort of tragedy or poignancy to Supreme's origin. This is only half a complaint, because his origin introduced the trippy element of Supremium and a fascinating time paradox which may partially replace the gut-wrenching emotions of the story of the character who was the central inspiration for the Ivory Icon.
The way I see it, Stan Lee did Superman a favor.
In the Silver Age, most of the DC heroes had a similar, possibly identical personality in many respects: confident, resourceful male authority figures with a strong ethos centered on serving and protecting. If the nobility of heroes was no longer cookie-cutter, then Superman's pure incorruptibility becomes DISTINCTIVE and exclusively his.
What made him work for me was the "Superverse" Uncle Morty and his stable of geniuses built around our boy Kal. And yes, that's true of Hal as well; he was a straight arrow without a lot of the idiosyncrasies and quirks we usually use to define a "character." But that whole mythology of the ring and lantern, the Universe-spanning corps, the Guardians, the "pre-history" with the Manhunters, the rogue Lantern Sinestro...it was all great.
This is the kind of universe-building we just don't see anymore. Most modern comics, to my eye, focus on intensely "personal" stories of angst and doubt and what not, or if they deal with peripheral elements at all it's to tear them apart: kill off the sidekicks, break up the Corps, etc. We need more creators on the payroll and less destroyers.
How true! And it makes additions to a long-standing mythos all the more rarer and appreciated; see above for my example of one such addition, Kurt Busiek's Silverclaw.
Oh, and the ultimate example for me: the Fantastic Four. Never in the history of comics have there been four duller or less interesting people who managed to keep a book in print for over 4 decades!
But if I had to look at Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben by themselves for 22 pages? I'd be asleep in no time.
While I agree with what it is you're saying (that Stan and Jack created incredible, mind-blowing worlds and have remained unequaled at this since) I cannot agree with the statement that the Fantastic Four, all of whom had contentious, complicated personalities, were boring. They were anything but! Why? Because they changed and developed as the comic went on!
One of the most meaningful, powerful moments in the Lee/Kirby run was when Johnny Storm, pursuing his love Crystal, was told by Reed that "a man has to do what he things is right." In thought bubbles, ol' matchead thought "That's the first time he ever called me...A MAN!"
Johnny Storm's maturation to adulthood, ignored by later, inferior writers (Waid, Byrne) was one of many things that made the Fantastic Four's mindbending jaunts much more fun: because you cared about the characters. They were original in the sense that there was no way one would mistake them for other characters of their type.
Mister Fantastic, despite his role as confident leader, was very different from other heroic leader-types: he was forgetful, obsessive (growing a scraggly beard when working on large projects) and
endearingly clueless when it came to money and women. He was very different from Superman and Captain America and could never be confused for either of them.
And Susan Storm? Many say that she was proof Stan couldn't write women. With respect, I don't agree; the proof that Stan understood female characters was in the fact that every time a morally ambiguous menace appeared, Sue's instinct was to nurture, to care, to show affection, instead of just punching it like her boyfriends. This was how she subdued the Dragon Man, for example, by showing him kindness.
Alan Moore proved in LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN that antiquated views on race and gender are pretty hilarious today. I'd LOVE to see them do a FANTASTIC FOUR movie where Reed says things to Sue like, "Sue, I'm tired of you getting distracted by your female problems!" or "Hmmm! It seems Sue was right -
despite being a woman!"
And Ben Grimm? Now there was a guy that had personality. Everybody's got their favorite Ben Grimm moment. Here's mine:
SUE: Oh, Benjamin Grimm, you're just being OBDURATE!BEN: My religion's got NOTHIN' to do WITH IT![/list]